Lies
by anniethedragongirl1372
Summary: in this story we see a new take on the idea of Dragonriders. A normal girl stumbles upon a queen egg and has to face the life of a dragonrider- in secret!
1. Chapter 1

Lies

 _By TheDragonGamerGirl_

 _Based on the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey_

I couldn't believe my eyes when I found the egg.

It was just sitting there, away from its proper weyr, not a dragon in sight. Trembling, I touched it. The egg was still warm. Dusk was falling. I would not be expected back until much later, having gone out to collect mushrooms that only came out at night.

As the sun set, I noticed that the clearing the egg was in had a plethora of mushrooms, to which I happily helped myself. With a full basket, I waited by the egg. Without a proper Weyr, it would get cold in the night. It might not hatch. Before I could even blink, I had fallen asleep beside the egg. That's the last thing I remember before now.

I sit up with a start, the rising sun shining right in my eyes. I put up a hand to shield my face, and notice a gray haze on the horizon. _Oh, no. Thread!_ I forgot that thread was due today. I have to get back home!

I turn around to grab my basket. There, all too omnipresent, is the Egg. It shines golden in the sunlight, a Queen egg for sure. I hook my basket on one shoulder and carefully lift the large egg in my arms. It is heavy, to be sure, but no more than my little brother when he forces me to carry him around.

Thread is getting closer. Despite the danger of dropping the egg, I begin to run. I can feel my heart pounding harder and harder, my breath short and shallow. Just as the silver rain licks the top of the trees, my family's cothold comes into view. The main cot is too far, but there is a well-protected stable nearer. I gratefully duck inside and, still holding the egg, hoist myself up to the loft.

I can hear the hissing rain of thread coming down and bouncing off the metal roof. The animals locked inside the shed with me continuously whine with fear. I am fairly scared myself. I've never had such a close call before!

My attention turns back to the egg. The proper thing to do would be to bring it to the nearest weyr, but no one would believe that I just found it in the woods. They would say I stole it. So I can't do that.

I'll have to keep it here. But if my family finds out, they'll punish me for sure. Also, my parents would absolutely freak. But where to hide it?

Well, this loft would do good. It's fairly hidden, where my parents and siblings don't like to go. My parents think it's dirty, and my siblings are all too young to climb up on their own. Plus, in here it's nice and warm for the egg, however dirty it may be. Yes, I'll have to leave it here.

Which reminds me, my parents must be sick with worry since I didn't come home before Thread this morning. I'll have to deal with their doting for at least a month after this, and I can't afford to brush it off. If I do anything wrong, they'll find out about the egg!

Say, I heard from some of the boys in the Hold that there's a Hatching at Telgar today. Telgar Weyr is responsible for keeping our small hold thread-free. So perhaps this egg came from there!

My suspicion is proven when, unaccompanied by Dragon-song, the little egg begins to rock. As the last slivers of thread bounce off the roof, the egg rocks harder and harder, until there is a crack. More cracks appear, and just as the last bit of thread slides off the roof, a hole opens in the shell. Two small, clawed feet appear, pushing at the sides of the hole until the shell splits right in two. There, before my eyes, is a golden queen dragon.


	2. Chapter 2

Lies: Chapter 2

The tiny dragon looks about, taking in the surroundings. I hold my breath, waiting for something, anything to happen. The queen's eyes land on me.

I look back at her, hold her gaze. The world around us snaps, like there was something missing that needed to be put into place. Or was it just me? I don't know.

Her eyes swirl every color of the rainbow. I stare into her eyes, mesmerized by the glowing swirl. A tiny thought at the back of my mind notes just how dirty it is in the shed. How improper.

Impression. I've heard so much about it, from my parents and the others at the main Hold. Yet when it's my turn to have the experience, nothing is as I heard.

I feel her first. A slow, steady presence, making its way into my mind. Words are slow to come, yet I relish every minute. It's as though she is still waking up, learning how to speak, even in our minds.

Her presence is like a warmth inside a mind long gone cold. I love it. At last, the words form.

 _I am Truth, Yveka!_

Even the first hour is pure bliss. I barely comprehend my parents' heartfelt words, their tears at my safe return. I only play along, pretending that Truth doesn't exist. For her own safety, and mine.

I pretend to sleep in my own bed at night, but when my parents are asleep I sneak out the window to be with Truth. Knowing how fast dragons grow, she won't fit in the loft more than a month. Oh, well. I can worry about that later.

When my parents find me gone from bed in the morning, they always assume I've gone out early to tend to our animals. Herdbeasts, runnerbeasts, wherries. I always feel better after a night with Truth, so I am able to tend to the animals in record time and still have time to go out to the woods.

There are scraps in the woods, of metal and the new plastics. They're a junkyard, where all the leftovers from the smithcrafthall and computer hall get dumped. They're also a perfect place to find materials for your own, hand-built, thread-proof shelter.

Once truth is fully grown, she'll be about thirteen of benelek's new "feet" tall. So when I'm done with our homemade Weyr, it'll be at least 15 feet tall, with a smaller room off to the side for me when it's uncomfortable to sleep together. If I have extra time, I'll even add a storage room so we can hide out there if we get hit by one of the sudden, extreme snowstorms that seem common these past years.

I have a crude structure erected by the end of the first month, when Truth can't quite fit in the stable's loft. We move during the night, when no adults are around. If any children see, adults will just say it's their overactive imagination. So we have nothing to fear.

There's a Hatching at Benden Weyr soon, in three days. The Search dragons come through every cot, hold and hall in the land. I'm quite surprised when a bronze dragon comes and takes my oldest brother, only ten, to the weyr.

"I have a feeling this family is good blood," he says. "The others are too little, I'm afraid. And there's no Queen egg this time." he glances in my direction, puzzled. I hurriedly busy myself with the plants by the window.

I sigh with relief once he leaves. _That was a close call,_ I remark to Truth.

 _Yeah. We had better be more careful. I can understand why I must stay hidden, but I still urge to be a part of a proper Weyr!_ I sigh.

 _I know, Truth. Maybe we will, someday. But I don't think the Weyrs will accept us. They'd think I stole your egg!_

 _True. Oh, well. We'll solve that mystery another day._

 _Yeah._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Hatching is incredible. My entire family, including all 3 of my brothers, are taken dragon-back to witness it. I have to leave Truth behind, since we've had no instruction for going _between._ I had hoped my first time flying on a dragon would be with Truth, but she's still growing, and it's been hard finding food for a dragon.

I barely notice as we go _between,_ since it's before dawn in our time zone. But I wake at the sight of the Weyr.

The only Weyr I've ever seen is the one I built for Truth. But this one is incredible. The Hatching Ground is immense, its length at least that of ten full-sized bronzes. The eggs are carefully placed around the sands, each one surrounded by a semicircle of at least 4 candidates. I spot my brother just as I jump down from the dragon's neck to the first tier. He's near one of the larger eggs, probably a bronze. His name is Raymond. What sort of honorific could you make of that? R'mond?

 _Don't worry about a silly thing like that._ Truth's voice is faint yet secure, despite her being many miles away.

 _You're right. I should just enjoy it. And remember my own Impression day._

 _Not exactly what you'll see here, was it?_

I let out a low chuckle, masked by the increasingly loud dragon hum. _True, but it's better than nothing at all!_

 _I definitely agree with that._

The hum increases, and I see the eggs rocking more violently than ever. There's no queen egg, but ever since Mirrim Impressed Path, girls have been presented for greens. Some even Impress blues or browns, but never bronzes. No man has ever Impressed a Queen.

The hum suddenly stops, and an audible crack can be heard. A shell in the center splits in two, revealing a bronze dragon. The candidates around it gasp, then either back away or slowly inch forward.

More shells crack. I watch, near tears with joy, as the bronze near my brother hatches. He may be ten, but he's brave. He inches forward, but turns with sadness as the bronze chooses another.

I watch, amazed, as the starts to walk off, when a brown comes barreling into him, knocking him down. He falls to the sandy floor, then slowly pulls himself up. The brown is standing over him, concerned. He smiles and sits beside it, caressing the brown's eye ridges. I let the tears flow as he slowly gets up and walks, side by side with the brown, out of the Hatching ground.

Impression has been made.

I avoid my family for most of the feast, but I do go congratulate my brother.

"Hey Raymond! Congrats?" I say to him, smiling with pride.

He smiles back. "The Weyrling-master says I'm R'mond now. And this is Ralth." He can't suppress a tender smile for the brown.

"to think you're only ten! You're so lucky."

"I sure am." He turns back to his food. I smile and walk back to my seat.

 _He doesn't know, but he will soon,_ Truth says. _He will come back to visit, and Ralth will notice me._

I sigh, pretending to be tired. _That's true. But by the time he can go_ between _he will be older, and trustworthy. The other dragons who've been to our hold have not noticed, but he is family. He will know._

 _They will all find out eventually. There is no way to disguise a mating flight._

I groan softly. _I'd forgot about that. Perhaps by then we will have a better plan._

 _I doubt it. We will have to confide in your brother, rather than have him discover us. He can get us into the weyr, where there will be bronzes. The timing must be right._

I smile, wondering how she never fails in wisdom. _Yes. The timing must be right._

Once we return home, at late evening benden time, the sun is only just setting in the west.

"I'm going to go see to the herdbeasts. They must be starving," I tell my parents. I do, but then hurry to see Truth.

I have to rush back for dinner, but I do always feel better after spending some time with my dragon. It's only been a month, and queen dragons don't mate until their second year. So we have time to figure things out.

I barely taste the food in my mouth, so exhausted I am. I go to my room straight after dinner, then use some pillows to create a silhouette of myself in bed. Then I sneak out the window and go sleep with Truth.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Another month has passed. Truth is growing fast, taller than me now. Barely.

My brother, R'mond, is coming to visit soon. Ever since he Impressed his brown, Ralth, he's been living at the Weyr, training. He's to come on another dragon, since his is still too young, and stay the night at home. The Weyr allows monthly visits for new riders under 14. after all, they're too young to be independent but also too old to simply have a new foster mother.

I'm going to tell my brother about Truth. We agreed it's the only way. After all, he'll eventually come with Ralth and then he'd know that Truth is here. We don't want him to tell everyone, which he would do if he found out. So we'll tell him, and hopefully he'll keep his mouth shut. Hopefully.

Then there's the matter of Truth. She's a growing dragon, and a queen no less. We both know that in about a year and a half she'll rise to mate, and by then everyone will know. So we need to get the word out before then, but we need to do it in such a way that the Weyrs will trust us.

Then there's the matter of the Weyrs. Once they find out, we'll have to go to one of them. But which? We have no idea where Truth came from, although I suspect Telgar Weyr. The timing was right. But you never know, maybe some rider timed it and brought her back from a different Weyr, in the future. It's impossible to know.

I set down my charcoal and sigh, looking out the window. I've been teaching myself to write, so I can keep a journal to remember what's happened in the past. Who knows, these records may be of value someday! I'm not doing very well, though. But practice makes perfect. I'll write down everything that's happened since the day I found Truth's egg. Then I can show it to the Weyrleaders, and they may be just that little bit more convinced that I am no thief.

I gasp as a blue dragon lands in the courtyard. My brother, barely recognizable, slides off its neck to the ground. He turns, thanks the rider, and walks towards our home.

I rush outside to meet him, along with my whole family. Mother carries my latest brother, barely two weeks old. I reach R'mond first.

"You're early!" I cry out, embracing him. He's 4 years younger than me, but he's nearly my height. "Why'd you come now?"

He smiles and pries himself out of my grip. "There's Thread on the day I was supposed to come, so I had to either come early or late. Early's better, isn't it?"

I smile and hug him again. "Definitely."

After Mother and Father and my other brothers all have their turns, we go back inside while Mother rushes about preparing lunch. We sit at the back of the kitchen while Father tries to get my younger brothers under control. I lean in close to R'mond's ear.

"I have something to show you, after lunch. Come outside with me and I'll show you. It's out in the woods." I whisper, barely audible over the shrieks of my brothers.

He nods ever so slightly. "Okay."

Lunch is fancier than normal, but still delicious. We have a large roast wherry drumstick to share, while my younger brothers promptly devour our leftover bread. I eat quickly, impatient to get it over with.

 _Don't worry. Your brother is trustworthy. He has matured since Impressing Ralth._

I take another bite of meat. _I suppose. I'm just worried, is all._

 _Don't be. We have it all planned out, remember?_

 _All right. I just hope this works out._

Once I've finished eating, I excuse myself and head outside. R'mond joins me shortly after.

"All right, what do you have to show me?" He asks, arms folded in a remarkable impression of our father.

"Follow me," I say curtly. He obliges as I lead him into the forest, following a well-hidden path through the trees. He gasps as we come into the clearing where I've built Truth's Weyr. There's a large metal panel for a door, large enough so she can fit through the opening it covers. I even set up tracks on top and bottom for it to run on.

I turn to my brother. "You cannot tell anyone what you're about to see. It's imperative that this remain secret. Do you understand?"

He nods gravely. "All right. Now show me already!"

I smile, then go and shove the large door open wide enough to step through. I gesture for him to go first.

I hear his gasp as I step behind him, closing the door on my way. He just stares at truth, frozen until I touch his shoulder. He gives a little yelp, then takes a deep breath.

"She's... Yours?"

I nod. "You could say that. I found her egg two months ago. She hatched during _that_ Threadfall. So I kept her hidden."

"Why?"

I sigh. "Can you think what the Weyrs would think if I showed up with a queen dragon who I claimed to have found just lying in the woods?"

He nods slowly. "they'd think you were a thief. But I know you're not."

I smile. "She was right. You have matured." I shake my head to clear it. "We need your help. The Weyrs have to find out at the right moment, before a year and a half from now. You know why. And we need your help to make it right. You know all the ways of the Weyr. We don't. So help us. We can't hide forever, so we may as well emerge at the right time."

He nods. "I think I have an idea..."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I sit, listening, for the better part of an hour while my brother explains his plan. It's risky, and definitely not perfect. But it's so crazy, it just might work.

But this plan means waiting.

We walk back to our family cothold, mulling over the plan. I turn to my brother, still slightly skeptical.

"You're sure this will work?" I ask, wanting perfect confidence. I get it.

"Of course," R'mond says. "I know F'lar. And I know enough _of_ Lessa to know this will work. Besides, if anything goes wrong we can try again later. Past a certain point, we just make less of a good impression. Before then, we just start over again. No harm done."

I sigh. "All right. But I hope you understand how serious this is."

He grins. "Duh. No worries, sis. I got this." He smiles and runs ahead, always the energetic one.

 _Huh,_ I remark to Truth. _He called me "sis". He never does- did that._

 _I told you, he's changed. You'll see._

 _I'm not going to get more than that out of you, am I._

 _Not a chance._

#

Waiting is the hardest part. For the plan to work, we have to wait a little over 9 months for the right time. After all, we need Ralth to be able to go _between_ with R'mond, and they need to have time to teach us. Most dragons reach their full growth by one year, so Truth will be flying long before then. That will be a bit of a problem; we'll have to fly in secret, during the night, hiding whenever a patrol comes by. It still feels so strange for dragonmen to be the enemy, but for now we must remain hidden. Until the time is right.

I spend every spare day with Truth. She's growing ever faster now, and I've "liberated" a few young Herdbeasts to keep in my own corral. Once they grow, we'll have an endless supply of meat, provided we ration properly. If we can.

I've noticed that Truth is different from other dragons, or at least from what I've heard of them. They say dragons have no sense of memory, that they live for the here and now, yet have incredible instincts. Truth is most certainly not like that. She remembers, and she learns. Honestly, she's more personable than any human I've met, and a much better student.

Yet still we wait. Truth grows every day, and I've been scouting the forest regularly for signs of human activity. Whenever the woods are clear of people Truth can go outside and get some exercise, so she'll be ready when it's time to fly. Also, I heard that it's bad to stay cooped up all the time. Exercise is necessary for health, blah blah blah... I just want the best for Truth, and it seems that being cooped up in the same place all the time would be pretty boring. Then again, what else do dragons do when they're not fighting Thread?

Months pass, week by week, day by day. We finally hit the 6-month mark, Truth's first half-birthday. I decide to celebrate by working extra hard to clear my conscience, then baking a loaf of bread and "borrowing" some fresh butter for a small feast. Truth happily dines on an older Herdbeast that wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway. We sit together, in our rugged Weyr, and celebrate the time we've had together.

I can't imagine life any other way.

#

Truth has started flying. Just short hops at first, then longer stunts, until she can fly indefinitely. We still haven't tried flying together, but we decided that it's safer to wait until she's reached her full growth. Both of us have heard the tales about the weyrling at the High Reaches that fell to his death on the mountains after overflying his young dragon. So we have to be prepared.

Time seems so slow, yet too fast at the same time. Truth continues to grow, and I see that our haphazard Weyr isn't large enough for her. So I begin to build a new one.

Thread falls less and less. I heard that we're nearing the end of the pass, it having been 30 years since F'lar and the Benden dragons first fought Thread. The pass is more than half over, yet it seems it's just begun.

More time passes. We near 9 months, and R'mond comes to visit again, this time on his own dragon.

#

I see him first, Ralth landing in the courtyard with my brother on his back. I rush out to meet him.

"Plan?" I say quietly as he jumps to the ground. He gives me the slightest of nods, then puts a smile on and goes to greet our parents. I grin and follow him. He's nearly eleven now, I realize. And I'm nearly 15. Only 2 months to go...

It's mid-morning, so he comes straight to the woods with me. We walk to the old Weyr, with the start of the new standing beside it. We go inside.

It's much more cramped than before, Truth being so much bigger now. We squeeze into a corner and try to talk, but it's just too cramped. So I open the door and let Truth out.

 _It is much better not to be stuck indoors,_ Truth remarks. _And to have another dragon to speak with. Ralth is very friendly._

I grin. "Allright, brother. We both know the plan. So let's start."

The first part of the plan is simple. Now that it's been almost a year, and Truth hasn't grown nearly so fast the past few weeks, we can safely say she's ready to carry me. That's the first step.

Once we've learned that, R'mond will return to teach us how to go _between._ Once we know how to do that, we can implement stage 2 of our plan.

We show the world just what we can do.


End file.
